Elevating the world of action through the Mishkan

בפסוק ועשו לי מקדש כו' וכן תעשו.

On the pasuk "And they shall make for Me a sanctuary," etc., "and so shall you make."

The Sefas Emes opens from the command to build the Mishkan, noting the words "and so shall you make."

פי' שצריכין בנ"י מקודם לתקן בחי' עשי'.

The explanation is that Bnei Yisrael must first repair the aspect of "asiyah" (action/making).

Before the Shechinah can dwell among them, Bnei Yisrael must first rectify the realm of action — the lowest, physical world of doing.

אח"כ זוכין לשכון הקב"ה בתוכם.

Afterward they merit that the Holy One, blessed be He, dwells among them.

Once that world of action is set right, they become worthy of having Hashem rest His presence among them.

כי באמת נשמות בנ"י למעלה מזאת.

For in truth the neshamos of Bnei Yisrael are above this.

In their essence, the souls of Bnei Yisrael are rooted higher than the world of action.

אך הקב"ה שלח נשמות בני ישראל לעולם העשי'.

But the Holy One, blessed be He, sent the neshamos of Bnei Yisrael into the world of asiyah.

Hashem deliberately sent these lofty souls down into the lowest world of action.

שעל ידיהם יהי' נמצא הקדושה בכל העולמות.

So that through them holiness would be found in all the worlds.

Their shlichus (mission) is to draw kedushah down so that it permeates even the lowest world of doing.

והוא עצמו ענין מאמר חז"ל מ"ט פתח בבראשית כח מעשיו הגיד כו'.

And this itself is the matter of the saying of Chazal: why did the Torah begin with "Bereishis"? "The power of His deeds He told," etc.

This is the very point of Rashi's question of why the Torah starts with creation — to declare "the power of His deeds," that Hashem's strength is revealed within the world of action.

פי' שעיקר תכלית בנ"י למעלה ממעשה בראשית.

The explanation is that the essential purpose of Bnei Yisrael is above the act of creation.

The true root and purpose of Bnei Yisrael stands higher than the created order itself.

ורק שהמה שלוחים לתקן העשי'.

Only that they are emissaries to repair the world of action.

Yet they were sent down as Hashem's agents specifically to rectify the realm of doing.

ובמשכן ומקדש נתקיים ממש בפועל כח מעשיו הגיד כמ"ש חז"ל יודע הי' בצלאל לצרף אותיות שנברא בהם מ"ב.

And in the Mishkan and the Mikdash, "the power of His deeds He told" was actually fulfilled in practice, as Chazal said: Betzalel knew how to combine the letters with which heaven and earth were created.

In building the Mishkan, "the power of His deeds" became real and tangible, for Betzalel could manipulate the very letters of creation — drawing the creative power of Hashem into the work of his hands.

וכך קשר הקב"ה הארות עליונות המיוחדים לבנ"י שיתקנו מקודם העשי'.

And so the Holy One, blessed be He, bound the supernal lights, which are unique to Bnei Yisrael, so that they would first repair the world of action.

Hashem connected lofty Divine lights — reserved for Bnei Yisrael — to the condition that they first set right the world of action.

וז"ש ועשו לי כו' אח"כ ושכנתי כו' ככל כו' וכן תעשו.

And this is the meaning of "And they shall make for Me," etc., and afterward "and I shall dwell," etc., "according to all," etc., "and so shall you make."

The order of the pesukim reflects this: first "they shall make" (the rectification of action), then "I shall dwell," and "so shall you make."

פרש"י לדורות.

Rashi explains: "for the generations."

Rashi understands "so shall you make" as applying to all future generations.

פי' שהכנת דור דיעה שקיבלו התורה בהר סיני פנים בפנים דיבר כו'.

The explanation is that the preparation of the "generation of knowledge," who received the Torah at Har Sinai "face to face He spoke," etc.

The dor de'ah — the generation that received the Torah directly at Sinai, "face to face" — laid down a spiritual preparation.

לזאת הי' בכוחם להעלות העשי'.

For this reason they had the power to elevate the world of action.

Because of that direct revelation, that generation had the strength to lift up and rectify the realm of doing.

ועי"ז נמצא בכל דור ודור הארות לתקן המעשים.

And through this there is found in every single generation illuminations to repair the deeds.

That original empowerment leaves behind, in every generation, the spiritual lights needed to rectify one's actions.

וגם זה אמת כי וכן תעשו הוא על בית המקדש ראשון.

And this too is true, that "and so shall you make" refers to the First Beis Hamikdash.

The phrase "so shall you make" also points forward to the building of the First Beis Hamikdash.

שני.

The Second.

And to the Second Beis Hamikdash.

אחרון.

The last.

And to the final Beis Hamikdash that will be built in the future geulah.

הכל נעשה בכח הכנה ראשונה של דור דיעה הנ"ל:

All of it is accomplished through the power of the first preparation of the "generation of knowledge" mentioned above.

Every Beis Hamikdash — first, second, and final — draws its strength from that original preparation made by the generation that stood at Har Sinai.

Summary: The lofty neshamos of Bnei Yisrael were sent into the lowest world of action as Hashem's emissaries to rectify it and draw kedushah into every world, fulfilled tangibly in the Mishkan. The generation that received the Torah "face to face" at Sinai empowered this forever — so every generation, and every Beis Hamikdash, draws on that first preparation to elevate action.